Mankessim Traditional Council Rejects Road Bypass, Demands Presidential Promise Be Honoured

A dispute over the routing of a major road project in Ghana’s Central Region has exposed tensions between traditional authorities and government engineers, raising questions about consultation, cultural heritage, and the politics of infrastructure.

The Mankessim Traditional Council has publicly rejected plans to construct a bypass around the town as part of the Apam Junction to Mankessim road project, insisting instead that the road must pass through the Mankessim roundabout, as President John Dramani Mahama explicitly promised.

The Promise

At the centre of the controversy is a video in which President Mahama stated that the road construction would connect Kasoa to Winneba, Winneba to the Mankessim roundabout, and from the roundabout to Cape Coast. For the Traditional Council, this was not an offhand remark but a binding commitment.

“The President specifically mentioned the Mankessim roundabout,” said Osagyefo Amanfo Edu VI, Omanhen of the Mankessim Traditional Area, at a press briefing on Tuesday. “We will not allow implementers to alter the President’s directive.”

The Council’s frustration intensified after Kwame Governs Agbodza, Minister for Roads and Highways, indicated that a bypass would be constructed from Ekumfi to Abonko, effectively routing traffic around Mankessim rather than through it.

Cultural Heritage or Beautification?

The Minister reportedly justified the bypass by claiming that the Mankessim roundabout contained cultural symbols and deities that should not be disturbed. The Traditional Council dismissed this characterisation as “malicious” and “false.”

Osagyefo Amanfo Edu clarified that the statues and symbols at the roundabout were not objects of worship but part of a beautification project initiated by Mr Asamoah Boateng, a former Member of Parliament. The Council, he said, had not been consulted about the road design, and had it been, the structures could have been removed to accommodate construction.

“We have found a video circulating on social media with the Minister claiming that the road would not pass through the Mankessim roundabout because there are deities there,” the Omanhen said. “These assertions are false.”

The Case for Routing Through Town

The Council’s insistence on the roundabout route is not merely about honouring a presidential promise. There is a practical dimension: bypasses, while efficient for through-traffic, can devastate local economies that depend on the flow of travellers and goods through town centres.

The Council acknowledged that it is not opposed to the construction of a bypass in principle, but maintained that routing the main road through the roundabout was necessary to preserve access to Mankessim and promote local commerce. For a traditional town with deep historical roots, being circumvented by a highway carries economic and symbolic consequences.

A Breakdown in Consultation

The timeline of events suggests a troubling pattern of institutional neglect. According to the Omanhen, the Council visited the Ghana Highway Authority in Accra on September 5, 2025, where it was agreed that the Authority would convene a stakeholder durbar in Mankessim. Follow-up attempts went unanswered until Dr Prince Arhin, Member of Parliament for Mfantseman, intervened. This led to a letter dated February 26, 2026, scheduling a stakeholder consultation for March 5, 2026. The Ghana Highway Authority reportedly failed to attend its own meeting.

The pattern, agreement, delay, intervention, more delay, non-appearance, reads like a case study in how not to manage community engagement on infrastructure projects.

What Is at Stake

The Winneba Junction to Mankessim “Big Push” project is a 24-kilometre dualisation currently about 25 per cent complete. The bypass component, being constructed by Midworks Contract Works Ltd, is intended to upgrade and divert traffic around Mankessim to reduce congestion.

For the government, the project is part of a broader infrastructure agenda. For Mankessim, it is an existential question: will the town remain on the map, or will a highway render it invisible?

The Traditional Council has appealed to the Ministry of Roads and Highways to intervene urgently and ensure the final project design reflects the commitment President Mahama made on camera. Whether that appeal will be heeded remains to be seen, but the Council has made clear it will not accept silence as an answer.

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